Jaybee, sure I'll join you guys and Dr. Shshio only had this one when he was on the moon

Ah well...

TO THE BAR!

And once we've sobered back up, I'll give you Hawks the tour of the place. It's a little different than what you're used to, but not in a bad way.I mean, let's be honest here. Our battleship is a stolen derelict named after a video game and a battery. We're about as un-military as you can get and still be a cohesive combat force.

All right, Hawks.... that's it for orientation, I think.Any questions?

"You didn't cover the chain of command, sir. How will our rank translate to the AGGF? "

Ummm.... it won't, actually. We don't place much stock in rank here. You can go ahead and drop the sir. I'm just Jaybee.Sume Gai's the boss as far as day-to-day operations are concerned, but for the most part we're equals.

If you come up with an idea, bounce it off us.If you think we're being complete dumbfucks, tell us so. In those terms, even. We'll consider any issues you raise.

If someone says jump, you don't have to ask how high. And you're free to just say you can't jump, and we'll make other plans. In fact, most operations are on a volunteer basis. We just jump because we can.

"So there's no chain of command? And you're free to blow off any operation you don't like? You guys are dumbfucks. *snicker*"

Well, I can't say that we aren't, really. You've seen how we run our missions. From both sides of the gun. It's marginally-controlled chaos most of the time.

If you want a laugh, ask someone about my recon mission . Don't worry, they'll know which one you mean. It was only the one time that went bad, but they're NEVER gonna let me forget it.

Anyways, the system's worked pretty well so far. You can't deny our results.It seems that guts, creativity, and some REALLY BIG GUNS can make up for an overwhelmingly superior enemy force.Most of us don't have the proper mindset for a military chain of command anyways. If we ran this like an army, everyone would've long since deserted.

Look at it from the other side. You've got a good degree of autonomy. Unless you do something stupid like create a homicidal alien nanomachine colony bent on destroying civilization, you can more or less do as you please. We'd really like to see you be more than just a pilot. If you have an engineering project you'd like to see done, a plan you'd like to enact, or just wanna try out a new mech, we're gonna encourage you to go through with it. This includes custom tuning and mods to your mecha.

While we're on the subject of mods, you mgiht want to get some melee weapons added to your VFs. We see a lot of close-quarters action around here. If I were you, I'd hit the sim and try out a few different mechs. See what tickles your fancy.

Anyways, if you DO create a homicidal alien nanomachine colony bent on destroying civilization, you'll probably see some restrictions start showing upESPECIALLY if you don't own up to your mistakes and keep trying to repeat them, despite nearly getting us all killed the first time, being told that you're not allowed to continue these experiments under any circumstances, and getting locked out of the lab for the good of humanity. Ask Tyria over there.

"So basically, if you aren't a dumbfuck, you won't be treated like a dumbfuck?"

Exactly!

"I like this gig already."

Good to hear, mister Nefaln. Good to hear.Have you gotten your daily allotment of "dumbfuck" out of your system yet?

"Ya know, I think I have."

All right.

Any other questions?*a chorus of negative responses*

Good. Then let's get the tour started. You've already seen the bar, so we'll use it as the tour's end point.

I know it is dangerous to tamper with things that not even the Earogaters do and should I come down to experiment with that kind of tech again, I'll keep it within it's original use parameters, it is proven it work fine, as long you don't push it to do something it isn't supposed to!!

Tyria, I don't think that you're going to be allowed in that lab for a LOOOONG time. I even remember them putting a fingerprint scanner on the door and the lab doors will temporarily lock themselves if it reads yours.

My current inventory is: One transforming katana, one flight suit, one Caster, various Caster shells, one gallant (including stock and barrel) and an optimistic attitude.

Damn... I kinda wanted to snipe a few of those haros, but I'm busy.I was saving the armory for another day anyways.

Ah well, I'm sure you can handle it, chief.

Next stop on the tour... the hanger. Your home away from your quarters, which are your home away from home.

We've got anything you can think of in here, and a few things you can't. Sadly, we're short on manpower, so a lot of these beauties sit idle most of the time. Such a shame to have a Grungust and not be using it.

We've got in-hanger and on-launchpad loading facilities, so you're covered in either situation. Watch out for the missile loader, though. It's a bit of a relic, and jams up occasionally.

There's the mechanics over there. We've got someone knowledgeable about darn near everything somewhere in there. Occasionally you'll see some of the med crew down here too: We've got a unit with some organic parts in it.

You'll probably want to know the VF guys best, since they'll be the ones patching your rides up after you bust some heads. But it can't hurt to meet and greet with everyone. Never know when you might need a hand tuning a beam saber or stopping a tronium engine from going super-critical.

Anyways, these guys are all pretty good at mods and such too. If they can interface a QRau cannon with a semi-organic mech powered by the pliot's spirit, they can do just about anything.

So whatever projects you have in mind, we have someone that you can ask for a hand.

And since you'll wanna get to know these guys, they'll be coming with us to the bar. Spaeking of which... let's knock off for today.